A Tale of Two Towers the exhibition explores the Capital’s architectural and social diversity by focusing on two of its contrasting tall buildings; the landmark that is the Lloyds of London building and the unexceptional but locally beloved Donnington Tower in Stockwell, and the people that live and work around them.

Fox has randomly picked twenty–four individuals from the towers’ vicinities who, although they all have their own very distinct character, are united in the way the Artist has treated them – removing any background and isolating them from their context. Placed alongside large-scale depictions of the two towers, he challenges the viewer to identify who might belong where, what they might represent and whether they defy or confirm the preconceptions that come with association to a particular area of the city.

Largely self-taught, Fox took a year out of working on his figurative oils to experiment with watercolours in 2007. Despite the challenges associated with them, he found the medium immediately appealing and much of the work featured in the exhibition is a result of this recently formed relationship. “I became fascinated by what has often been considered an inferior medium to oils. Drying quickly and not allowing anything but the gentlest of washes to be over painted, many of my contemporaries seem to have been put off by this lack of play. It struck me that these limitations would be considered a virtue by many. ” Says Fox of his urge to work with the material despite the difficulties that come with it.

Although the use of Watercolours calls for a high degree of planning, they are also notoriously unpredictable and Fox’s skill in being able to control them through his restraint and innate talent with the brush is visible throughout the exhibition. Taking the medium away from its traditional subject matter, the work in ‘A Tale Of Two Towers’ becomes all the more impactful and commands a power that might not generally be associated with watercolour portraiture.

Fox’s talent is already beginning to be recognised amongst his peers, with him recently being awarded the ‘Young Artists Award’ in the Sunday Times / Royal Watercolour Society, Watercolour competition. ‘A Tale Of Two Towers’ at Art Work Space justifies his acclaim so far and marks him out as a bright light in the emerging school of figurative painting.      

About the Artist

A brief and ultimately dull spell at Chelsea Art College managed to quell what had been Haslam Fox's school time obsession with painting and he ended up instead studying Art History at Glasgow University. Specialising in Abstract Expressionism and Chinese landscape painting for his Masters, his background and eclectic taste no doubt still inform his own image making. From university, an array of creative and practical jobs led him to travel extensively and finally settle in London.

Inspired by a meeting with the artist Brendan Kelly, Haslam Fox spent a year at London's Art Academy in 2005. Here he met a group of artists he looked up to and soon his love of painting found new direction. Keen to continue his development alone and intent on immersing himself in the art world, he has since then been working on private commissions whilst building up a comprehensive series to exhibit from his studio in Lambeth. His paintings have been showcased through various public competitions, last year exhibiting at 'The Discerning Eye' (Mall Galleries), '20th Century Watercolours' (Bankside Gallery) and winning the Young Artist award in the Sunday Times/RWS Watercolour Competition.